Missing and in Need of Rescue
by Autunno
Summary: War tore through the lands. Citizens attempted to escape, running from the foreign countries and prayed they'd make it back to their own. A team was sent by the Leaf, in hopes that they could safely escort citizens in dire need. But... What happens when they need rescuing too?


"We have received a distress beacon in the Land of Grass. Some of our citizens are there."

"How? Hostages of some sort that have escaped or what?" Fox, an ANBU member, asked while crossing his arms. His tone gave away his disbelief, there had been no way a signal could come from that war torn zone.

"They say an injured ninja is with them. They are stationed in an old warehouse," Tsunade sighed and sat back in her chair. It was a silent way of dismissing them and they were quite use to it.

"Hai." The three man squad disappeared in a poof smoke.

 **...**

"Hold on, Miss. Miss?" A young woman asked.

"Listen if…" her breathing was labored and only getting worse as she wheezed. "Sorry. Please, if they do come, please, leave me behind. My mission will be complete. Plus, I will be burden. Please, leave me." She closed her eyes to rest. The young woman had no room to argue and left to go back downstairs.

As soon as the woman got to the bottom of the stairs, the warehouse doors creaked open. Everybody froze until they noticed the leaf symbol on the ANBUs arms. Everyone instantly relaxed and a young boy who had been clinging to his mother's leg, smiled in hope.

The woman pointed to the stairs that led to the closed off loft. Fox immediately took off up the stairs while the other two questioned and helped the citizens. To his surprise, the MIA ninja was laying on the bed resting. The only ninja who had survived from saving the hostages. Stepping forward, he took the blunette's hand.

Fox took a quick look towards the door before he pulled off his mask. The MIA/injured ninja smiled a bit and raised her hand to trace his whiskered cheeks.

"You okay, Hinata?"

"My mission i-is done…" She took a breath and continued, "you need to leave with them now. D-Don't w-worry about m-me, o-okay?" Hinata began to try and push him away. He slowly put his mask on and headed down to speak with Tiger and Hawk.

At dawn, they headed off. The door creaked closed and Hinata closed her eyes in grief and fear. A few tears escaped her closed eyelids but didn't go very far. Something wiped her tears away, warm and rough fingertips. Hinata didn't even have to open her eyes to know who it was. She simply shook her head.

"We will leave soon. Just rest for now." Hinata opened her eyes to find his blue eyes staring back at her. His mask laid on his spiky blonde hair. Naruto smiled gently and kissed her forehead.

"N-Naruto?"

"Yeah?" His eyes seemed softer than the last time she'd seen him. Much kinder, at least towards her. She gave a small, shy smile and pushed him away again.

"Y-You can't be here. They'll come and you'll-be… You c-can't… Please l-leave."

"You can't just plan to sit here and die!"

"I can't f-fight or w-walk. Please l-leave. Thank y-you for t-trying though." Hinata gave him a smile. It seemed almost pitiful.

"No! I'm not going to leave you here!"

"N-Naruto… P-Please…" Her voice strained as she tried to breath. Tears filled her eyes, she didn't fear for herself but for him. He was strong but she'd burden him during the upcoming fight. A weakness that could get him killed.

"No more buts or excuses. We'll leave now." His eyes filled with determination. Not the first time she had seen it and most likely not the last. "Let's go." Naruto threw their bags over his shoulder and turned to lend a hand to Hinata.

"I-I can't w-walk…" Hinata twiddled her thumbs and looked down. A small shame on her part to admit it, her father would not be pleased.

"I'll carry you then." He pulled the blankets back to see something that broke him inside. Her pants had been ripped up to her knees but the bandages wrapped from her feet to underneath the pants. Her legs had been torn to shreds.

Hinata was blushing red and avoided his gaze in slight embarrassment. Naruto took a breath and shook it off. He readjusted his mask back onto his face. As gently as possible, Naruto picked her up.

"We'll be home before you know it, okay?" She nodded, feeling sleepy again. Hesitantly, she rested her head against his chest and Naruto smiled as he walked out of the warehouse and back towards home.

After a few hours, Hinata stirred in his arms. He stopped for a second to prop her against a tree while she opened her eyes.

"Stiff? Hurting?"

"Both. Sorry." She winced as she rubbed her legs and neck. As she unstiffened herself, Naruto sensed chakra not too far off so he sent out some clones to check out the situation. They returned to tell him off the enemy on their trail but they had taken care of them before poofing away.

Hinata opened her mouth to talk but Naruto shook his head and picked her up to continue on. Night was falling on them quickly but Naruto didn't stop. Branch by branch, he continued on. Hinata rested her head against his chest to sleep but as she closed her eyes she jumped and reopened them.

"Huh? Hinata? You alright?"

"Y-Yeah." She blatantly lied.

"You're a terrible liar. You know that?" He chuckled.

"I said I was f-fine."

"Sure…"

They continued into the night. When they saw those gates, Naruto sped up his pace and soon enough, they were bursting through the hospital doors. Tsunade had been walking out but turned suddenly to change her direction. She led them to a room to examine Hinata's condition.. Tsunade had Fox leave the room while she examined and healed Hinata.

Coming out, Tsunade turned to him and pulled off his mask. She slammed to the ground in what could be mistaken as rage. However, if anything, she felt grief weigh on her heart. The ninja had to be left behind, this stunt could have compromised the entire mission. Citizens could have been killed as well as the team.

"Do what you feel like you need to do, but take your baa-chan's word and don't let go. Just stay here, without the mask of the ANBU." She walked away without a word. Naruto stared at the ceiling, leaving his mask on the ground.

Once she got to her office, Tsunade pulled out her sake and didn't bother getting a glass. This was always the hard part. She knew him too well. Too painfully well.

Naruto walked back inside with careful steps. To anyone else, he looked like he walked normally back into the room, but those with the trained eye could see it. Naruto walked in the room as if he was walking into enemy territory.

Hinata laid resting so peacefully that he didn't dare wake her. His one weakness. But she was the one thing that stopped him from going over the edge, he could walk the tightrope as long as she stayed safe. His strength relied in her safety and well being. It nudged him in the back of his mind, always reminding him of why he left home in the first place.

Bending over, he gently kissed her lips.

"I love you. Stay safe," his whispered words trembled as well as did he. The beast inside him reared it's head, watching him with silent curiosity. He did not scoff at his vessel or insult him, like he knew how precious this moment was, the choice that came with it.

The nine tails turned away, leaving Naruto alone with Hinata. Even the beast knew him well, already accepting the boy's choice. That was Naruto, a boy. Kurama could see him as nothing else, but he admitted silently that Naruto was quite the brave boy.

Stopping by the door he turned and whispered as a last thought.

"Welcome home, love."


End file.
